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Lädt ... The Gum Thief (Original 2007; 2008. Auflage)von Douglas Coupland
Werk-InformationenIFFYThe Gum Thief von Douglas Coupland (2007)
Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Wow, lots of reviews on this book and they are all over the place. I did not expect to like it, but it snuck up on me. Books about writing a book tend to be mind bogglingly dull, but Coupland pulled it off. I loved the way the imaginary book being written, which starts off as an amazingly bad Cheever rip off, develops into a story with meaning and pain as it reflects the characters inner lives. I like Douglas Coupland and his brand of witty cynicism, but this story was just slightly too clever for my taste - and such a short novel should not take so long to get through. I'm still not entirely sure what I was reading, in fact - a story in a story (in a story?), an exercise in creative writing, or just two miserable people working at Staples, but I didn't connect with any of the characters, whoever was writing them. I’ve been hoping for a book like this. This is the kind of book I read for, as if I am fishing. Fishing for what, you ask? I’m not sure, but I know it when I see it and this is it. Here is a novel told simply, starkly, imaginatively and empathetically, with a good deal of humor and philosophy thrown in for good measure. You’d never guess how hard it is to find books like this. I am obviously late to the Douglas Coupland party, but at least I made it despite the horrible traffic. Another thing: I know this book was vitamins to my soul because I never, not once, intentionally noted what page I was on as I was reading. You know those books—the ones that are just good enough to keep on with, but which are a solid chore to read. That is not this book, at least not to me. This book is funny, smart and sad and it’s a breeze. Thank you, Douglas Coupland.
Douglas Coupland’s new novel, “The Gum Thief,” puts the act of writing center stage. The book is not conventionally narrated, but told obliquely, through an assemblage of writings and letters, from which the reader reconstructs the story like the pieces of an Ikea wardrobe. This is a novel so postmodern that it has disappeared up its own irony and come out on the other side. In anyone else's hands, it could read like an environmental treatise by Al Gore translated by a teenage dirtbag after 17 vodka Red Bulls. But Coupland's skill is in his love of the ridiculous, like a schoolboy whose words make him giggle. His books are essentially pointless. Maybe that's why they are such a guilty pleasure. Ist enthalten inAuszeichnungen
Over the course of several months, two retail workers at an office supply superstore--Roger, a divorced, middle aged "aisles associate" at Staples, and his young co-worker, Bethany, an early twenty-something, former Goth--strike up a unique epistolary friendship. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Wonderful balance of deep and funny (more like dark comedy, which I love). Overall, it was very witty and clever.
This is the first book by Douglas Coupland that I picked up, and I don't know why I chose it. It's not even among his top 7 most popular books and his fans don't seem to love it; nonetheless, it was addictive. Cynical at times, but there were deep thoughts that usually linger in my brain, so I liked it. I'm giving this a five-star rating now, but I might change it after I read his other books and find them to be better - like his fans said. I am definitely getting his other books, because when you find a writer so good that you feel like you're reading a diary of a close smart friend, you buy all his books.
Oh, the story, right. It's about two employees who work at Staples. Roger, a middle-aged loser, and Bethany, the 20-something year old goth. The whole novel consists of diary entries, and letters, AND another novel inside this novel which contains another novel in which the characters are like the original novel characters. Whoa, right? Not so confusing when you read it, actually.
I wanted to quote a few things I loved from the book, but I'm too lazy. Just read it if it sounded good to you. ( )